What drew Rannva Erlingsdottir Simonsen to Nunavut almost 30 years ago was a love for the Arctic and the spirit of Northerners.

From the Faroe Islands, which along with Greenland are colonies of Denmark, Erlingsdottir Simonsen is a small business owner who manufactures clothing and other items made from seal pelts, a venture she started in 1999, two years after she moved to Iqaluit.

Her business in Apex, Rannva Designs, is a small shop and bed and breakfast showcasing her many, primarily sealskin fur-based goods. Some of these are her own design, others are the products of the local womenSA国际影视传媒檚 shelter, located right across the street.

SA国际影视传媒淪ewing for SurvivalSA国际影视传媒� is the name Erlingsdottir Simonsen eventually gave to what began as an informal arrangement to sell the small items women had made who were residents of Kimaarvik WomenSA国际影视传媒檚 Shelter. Sewing for Survival provides SA国际影视传媒渟ustainable and respectful employment for marginalized Inuit women and men in the making of culturally-inspired crafts from Indigenous food byproductsSA国际影视传媒� using traditional skills.

Erlingsdottir Simonsen estimates about half of the products in her shop, especially the smaller-ticket items, to be manufactured by Inuit. She views the practice as a continuation of what Inuit and her own people have been doing since time immemorial. Her mission is to organize the greater initiative, which is SA国际影视传媒渢o buy things, promote things, and to try reaching the museums down south, with access to the bigger market.SA国际影视传媒�

Working personally with the Inuit involved, Erlingsdottir Simonsen helps to ensure that the end products are the desired quality, colours, and sizes for the desired market, helping with SA国际影视传媒渢he little things that make the big difference... to get hard cash for themselves SA国际影视传媒� so empowering, culturally, spiritually, economically. To have money from their own hands to spend... instant cash is the only thing that works... itSA国际影视传媒檚 a go-with-the-flow kind of mentality, which is the way to go with these things, I found out through trial and error.SA国际影视传媒�

Culturally appropriate and respectful trade

Some of the Nunavummiut craftsmakers she works with embark on their own start-ups, SA国际影视传媒渨hich is ideal... really encouraging, everybody [is] happy. In my world, thereSA国际影视传媒檚 nothing better than respectful trade.SA国际影视传媒�

Erlingsdottir Simonsen pays a minimum of $25 an hour, "because you canSA国际影视传媒檛 live for less here.SA国际影视传媒� She also purchases some of the materials, or helps supply certain things.

Since coming to Nunavut, Erlingsdottir SimonsenSA国际影视传媒檚 been actively involved in the production and distribution of seal pelts, insisting on policy change at the Department of the Environment.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen I started, it was impossible to buy tanned, local skins. So I did a lot of lobbying... so I know how it changed from the government only buying raw skins... I even said to them, SA国际影视传媒榊ou are mingling with private business already when you are buying skins with the hunters, and maybe you are thinking thatSA国际影视传媒檚 OK because they are men... and you donSA国际影视传媒檛 think about the women who do the next part. Think about the women!... And now they have tanned skins that come back and circulate in the community... so that was part of pushing it in that direction, making that demand.SA国际影视传媒�

The change from auctioning off raw pelts to buying raw skins from hunters and returning finished pelts from the south to be fashioned into goods by Nunavummiut women for added value is intended to boost NunavutSA国际影视传媒檚 economy.

SA国际影视传媒淢y argument was, bring it back, give employment to the women too, and make more money with added value. Plus, satisfy the cultural need... and the desire from tourists to get things made [from] local materials and local skills.SA国际影视传媒�

Something to teach industry

SA国际影视传媒淢y mission was to bring Northern resources to the mainstream, to counter the '70s Brigitte Bardot disaster for the local economy, and also to bring pride and joy back into local materials," she says, noting that the people in her homeland were also "demoralized by put-downs" and being undervalued in numerous ways, "where it still taint[s] the feeling of self, that weSA国际影视传媒檙e not good enough... that we have to go down south to get the right things, which is a bunch of baloney!

SA国际影视传媒淢y people live in the North... we are people with self-respect, and I would say more respect for the environment and animals than people around us, and we should be proud of that, and not try to adopt the industrial way of torturing everything living from cradle to grave.SA国际影视传媒�

Erlingsdottir Simonsen says it took over 20 years of lobbying to get her products carried in museums in Ottawa and more mainstream acceptance of Northern goods, which has been aided by certain concessions from the environmental movement. She even took part in the LSA国际影视传媒橭real Fashion Show in Toronto in 2006, and international figures and politicians specially order and wear her products.

The change in perception is slow, however.

SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 been a lot of harassment... projection of people coming from big cities and pointing fingers [at] small communities instead of looking in their own backyard, which is finally starting to happen... hunter societies like Faroese and Inuit and many others, we know it, and respect it, and we have gratitude to the animals. We are very kind and sophisticated people, so itSA国际影视传媒檚 from us that the industry should learn.SA国际影视传媒�